


Fairy Tale Denied

by burmafrd



Category: The Huntsman (Movies)
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:20:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27330352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burmafrd/pseuds/burmafrd
Summary: Trying to live a Fairy Tale is really stupid.
Relationships: The Huntsman/Snow White (The Huntsman)
Kudos: 11





	Fairy Tale Denied

**Author's Note:**

> What if Snow and Eric were a lot smarter than the movies showed them to be?

Fairy tales and legends are always based on whoever is involved taking the hardest possible path.

The toughest choices.

Always noble and for the greater good.

So this really does not qualify as a fairy tale; and certainly no legend will spring up about it.

What it was…

Common sense and intelligent choices.

Eric the Huntsman walked out of the Castle and looked around. He was certain the girl was a lot smarter than the Queen thought. He was willing to bet she had thought this out, if rumors he had heard were true. That she had been locked up for years. Aplenty of time to make plans and think them through.

She would hide in the castle for at least a day or two. Long enough for the immediate area to be searched and the hounds to move on.

Then she would go the opposite direction that everyone thought she would take.

South instead of north.

As he walked the way he was thinking she had, he thought back to the meeting with the Queen. The Dark Queen as most thought her; but of course never where she or anyone of hers could hear. That way led to certain death and even more certain suffering.

Eric had loved his wife; obsessively and completely. So much that he had given up his beloved forests to become a farmer; something he had never been able to more than stomach.

That is why he had taken the Dark Queen’s offer.

He would do ANYTHING to get her back.

But now hours after the meeting he faced the facts: no matter how powerful she claimed to be, she could not raise the dead. At least not as they were. At most a golem, a horrible caricature of a person.

Like all too many in power, she thought all others were dumber than she. That she was the smartest person in the room.

Well he might not be smarter than her, but he had enough common sense to know when he had been played.

However, he had taken the task and had been given gold. If he did not accomplish it, the best he could hope for was a quick death. Which was NOT likely.

And more than likely she would just kill him once he brought the girls heart to her in a sack.

So now as he searched for that girl, he had to figure out what to do.

Eric the Huntsman did not fool himself; he was not a particularly good man. Not an evil man; probably not a bad man. Just not that good. His wife had made him a much better person while she was alive. But that influence was long gone. He had been a drunken brawler and trouble maker since her death.

He was not doing this for any noble reason; personal greed and selfish need.

And that really did not bother him.

But he was not going to serve himself up to the Dark Queen on a plate, either.

Though when thinking about it, he had to wonder why he bothered to live. What reason was there?

He had no answer; maybe just pure stubbornness?

At any rate, as if by rote, he tracked the girl down. It only took him a day.

He found her in a copse of trees, asleep. It was a good spot; well hidden. He was able to get right up to her; she slept the sleep of the exhausted. He noted her cloak was not particularly thick. Curled up like she was between trees she was sheltered from the wind; but with winter soon at hand he did not see her lasting long. If she had indeed been locked up for years, and she was clearly still in her teens, then the chances that she knew anything about how to survive in the wild was virtually non-existent.

He could follow her until she dropped from exhaustion and hunger, and wait until she passed. But then what? He already had a bad feeling about accomplishing his mission. Killing her now would put her out of her misery; it would be an act of mercy.

He contemplated that.

Why should he perform an act of mercy? He was almost certainly damned when dead; this would not make any difference. The Goodness of His Heart? He had none. The Right Thing to DO? He chuckled at that. He had always had complete contempt for do-gooders.

So what profit could he make out of all of this?

He looked at her again. Slender, probably malnourished. But she had a lovely face. Complexion pale and clear. She was probably a beautiful girl. He had heard rumors that the Dark Queen hated any female of beauty. He looked again at the girl and nodded to himself. That is why she hated this girl; a good chance that when well fed and well dressed she would outshine the Dark Queen. A Capital Crime in that deadly females eyes.

A lovely young girl. Now he thought on that. She would of course have value to a brothel. But he sighed; he was not a good man but he was not that bad, either. And he really did not have a craving for wealth; never had. 

Then he thought on something.

He could make this girl his woman. She was lovely; seemed to be intelligent; and seemed to have courage. Now of course she also might be a shrew.

The thought of a young girl in his bed, pleasuring him and serving him, now that was a thought. The loneliness had been steadily eating away at him; the short time of having a wife and a home had spoiled him for all time.

He looked at her again and slowly nodded his head.

It would not be easy; a good chance he would get himself killed. But then again he still was able to want more than what he had and this was a chance. The Dark Queen had given him a fair amount of gold for his search, enough to get them both out of the Kingdom. Heading south it was not that far to the border; perhaps two weeks or so. He was still young enough and fit enough; and he could make a home in the forests that graced the kingdom to the south.

He began to warm to the idea.

A snug little cabin in the woods; a woman in his bed, cooking for him. Perhaps even children. 

He would do it.

Snow shivered as she woke; she had been able to steal some food from the kitchen as she hid in the castle but it would run out soon. Despair crept over her like a cloud. What was the point? She had no skills to survive; she would not last long. Sadly, she made a decision. She would find a piece of woods and go as deep as she could and die there. At the least she would not be found; the animals would make sure of that. The Dark Queen would search for her for years in angry futility. At least that was something. 

Then she felt something and opened her eyes.

Just a few feet away a man was standing there; staring at her. A hard looking man; tough and rough. She closed her eyes; it was all for nothing.

He wondered what she would do when she had woken.

Her eyes opened and found him; widened and then he could see despair. She closed them and just laid there.

She had given up.

But then again what reason had she for hope? He knew how he must look.

Then Snow opened her eyes again.  
“Well get it over with.”

He blinked and smiled. Still some fire there. She did have lovely eyes. And courage. She might have lost hope but clearly she was not going to beg. She would die as she chose.

He felt a stirring in his loins he had not felt for far too long. She would be worthwhile to bed. 

“The Dark Queen gave me gold to bring your heart to her in a bag; and a great reward after that. But I know it is all false.”

Snow cocked her head.  
“So now what?”

He grinned.  
“I am not a good man; not some do gooder. But I am a practical man. I know my time in THIS kingdom is done. Whether or not I do what I was tasked with. She would almost certainly kill me in any event.”

“Well then?”

He liked her. So be it.

“You will be my woman. You will pleasure me and serve me. In return I will provide for you.”

Snow White thought on this. Here she was, the True Queen of a Kingdom. Offered life in return for being a common man’s woman. She looked at him again. Rough and hard; he would be able to protect her and provide for her. She would have to pleasure him and serve him. She thought on that. Why not? It was better than anything else likely to happen. This way she just might have a decent life.

“Very well. I will be your woman. My name is Snow.”

“I am Eric the Huntsman.” He looked around. He had brought a pack horse with him; something he usually did not bother with but this time he had decided to prepare for a long search. And he had the gold to buy things and he had. As it turned out that had been a smart thing to do.

“Get up. You will ride the horse.”

Snow slowly got up, stiff and cold and followed him to the horse waiting there. Eric took a few minutes clearing a spot on the horses back. It was a good thing the girl was small. He then lifted her up and placed her on the horse.

“Just hold onto the packs.” 

Snow nodded and off they went.

Eric thought on their situation as they steadily walked south. It would be a while before the searchers started this way. Probably a week or so. IF they kept up a steady pace, they should stay ahead of them. He had food to last the both of them at least a week or more without hunting or fishing. He had gold to buy food if they came to any village. It was best they keep going as fast as they could. Reach the border and cross into Savant. The searchers would not cross the border; any armed band would receive a very warm welcome indeed. The years of the Dark Queen’s rule had seen all the Kingdoms neighbors strengthen their borders. Luckily a man and a girl would not attract any attention.

Snow found herself lethargic; hungry but not too cold; the warmth she felt through the back of the horse helped.

Eric kept going until just after noon; they reached a small stream. He stopped and took the girl off the horse; she staggered a little then steadied herself. She was without a doubt stiff; and he was willing to bet very hungry. He looked around carefully. And nodded to himself.

“We will rest for a while. I will cook some broth for you. I am willing to bet you have not eaten much?”

She just nodded.

The broth was hot; and that alone made Snow smile. She looked up at him.  
“Thank You.”

She had a lovely smile. She seemed a quiet sort; probably no surprise if she had indeed been locked up for years with no one to talk to. Eric hated incessant talk. 

He made hot tea for himself and ate some dried meat.

Then off they went again.

They came to a village an hour before dark; it was small. Eric considered things. Not likely there was an inn; and to be blunt attracting any attention would not be a good idea. So he passed around it and not long after came to a nice bit of woods. They would camp there for the night.

Snow was tired and after eating a little more than she had for lunch quickly curled up and fell asleep. Eric put a fairly heavy skin over her. He noted she smiled a little in her sleep as he did that. He put out the fire and curled up with his own skin. The days walk had pleasantly tired him out and sleep came quickly. 

Snow woke up and for the first time since she was small, she was warm. The heavy skin had been much more than she had ever had in that cell.

Eric had woken up and was preparing to start the day when he noticed her eyes open. Then a soft smile came to her as she looked at him.  
“This is the first time in the cold that I have woken up warm in the morning for many years.”

He thought on that. Might as well collect some information.

“I heard you had been locked up for years.”

“12 years. Since I was 7.”

He shook his head; truly evil to do that to a child. But they were talking the Dark Queen. 

He noted she showed more life this morning; a good sign.

As the next week went by they passed several small villages; none of them tempted the Huntsman into investigating.

Snow gradually grew stronger as she was warm and fed decently for the first time since she was a child.

She found the silence with the Huntsman comforting and solid. 

Finally, not far from the border they came upon a decent sized town. The Huntsman decided they could chance it; and he needed to buy more food anyway. But it was not a good idea for the girl to be seen. Then he nodded to himself.

He found a bit of woods and stopped there.  
“Wait here.”

Then walked into the town. It did have a decent inn and he took a room. As with all inns it had backstairs for the servants. He went back and waited until night and then brought Snow to the room.  
“Stay here and do not make a sound.”

Then he went out and got some food and came back; they ate and he put her to bed. Then joined her; holding her close.

Snow found it comforting to be held; the first time since she was 7.

He held the warm sleeping girl and decided this just might be pretty good after all.

He got up very early and got them out of town; then went back with the horse to get more food and some other things.

Snow sat in the copse in shelter of several nice trees with her thick skin tucked around her. She was warm and well fed; and she smiled.

Off they went; two days later they crossed the border. The guards did not seem to notice; Eric had waited until a fair number came close to the border station before he crossed over.

Snow looked back at the Kingdom; somehow she knew she would never see it again. And she felt content with that. She had suffered 12 years of prison; she owed no one a thing. She wanted revenge on the Dark Queen but that was clearly impossible. The futility of the search and how that would annoy and bother the bitch for years would have to be enough.

The Huntsman knew he could not relax; not yet.

He had never traveled in this kingdom but he had heard some things; now he had to verify them.

So the next town they came to, a decent sized one if smaller than the last one, he got them a room in the only inn there.

And now he let it be known he was traveling with his young wife. No one would care enough to ask questions. Just the fact that he had married recently and he wanted out of that kingdom. No one would question THAT.

Snow found it interesting and somehow comforting to be considered the Huntsman’s wife. She knew there would never be any kind of ceremony but that really did not bother her. He would treat her as his wife and that was enough.

With the girl now fed up and stronger, Eric decided that this night he would make her his. She would start to be his wife in more than name.

Snow knew that this night he would make her his. And while a little scared she was also a little excited.

After a good dinner he took Snow to their room.

She stood there waiting for him.

Slowly he undressed her until she was only in her shift; she shivered but the room was nice and war.

Then Eric slowly pulled her shift off and she was nude. She trembled; but not with fear. The heat in his eyes as he gazed on her naked body warmed her up.

She was small breasted but they were quite nice and more than handful; Eric had never seen the fascination so many men had with big breasts. She was slender but shaped very nicely; a fine little butt and very good legs. All in all very attractive and he was going to enjoy her. He picked her up and set her on the bed and then took off his own clothes.

She shivered in anticipation as he took his clothes off. A hard and tough body was uncovered; with plenty of scars. Her eyes fixated on his manhood; she trembled at the thought of that buried inside her. And found she wanted it.

He could see the anticipation in her eyes; and he could smell her arousal. He was almost unbearably hard. But he would be gentle as he could for her first time.

Snow cried out softly as a hot mouth closed over a hard nipple and sucked. His hands wandered over her body; burning wherever they touched. She wanted something very much but in her increasingly muddled mind did not know what.

He was slow as he took her; forcing himself into her incredibly tight passage then he thrust hard, knowing it was best this way.

Snow cried out as the pain hit; and then slowly it went away. She felt so full. Then he began to move and by instinct she moved with him. Then it became so good… 

Eric the Huntsman woke up the next morning holding his woman. Who was curled against his chest with a sweet smile on her sleeping face. He knew he had a pretty big smile on his own. It had been very good indeed; and he knew it would get a lot better. The young woman, as she was now, had passion to spare. 

Snow woke up and smiled widely. She was a little sore but she was very happy. It had been so good. And now she knew she truly belonged to him; he had claimed her as his woman.

That day marked a significant change for both of them. Snow grew much more lively; and began to do all she could to help out. And Eric found himself much more cheerful than he had been in years.

Asking around the town he had gotten a good idea of the lay of the land. And decided where to make their home. There was a large forest a weeks ride to the south. One thing he did do in the town was get another horse. And a saddle for his horse. Snow would now ride more comfortably. And they would make better progress.

Winter was coming and he knew they would have to find a place to get through it. He had been told of a good sized town not far from the forest; they would spend the winter there. He still had lots of gold and he could probably find odd jobs in the town or even hunt.

In the town there were several empty houses and with gold in hand Eric was able to rent a small one. And find work at a livery that was almost next door. 

Snow worked hard to make their first home a comfortable one and Eric appreciated her efforts.

Their time in bed had indeed gotten much better; Eric had never had as good.

Right at the end of the year Snow found herself not feeling well; having struck up a casual friendship with the wife of the livery stable owner she confided to her.

“When was your last monthly?”

And then Snow knew what it was.

Eric was thoughtful. The child would be born towards the end of Summer. He would have more than enough gold to pay for help to have the cabin ready to go. There were midwives in town; Snow would stay until the babe came. He would work on the cabin and all else that would be needed.

Eric rented a wagon and had logs cut in the sawmill in town. And hauled them out to the site he had picked. It was half a days journey into the woods; next to a nice stream that had fish in it. A natural clearing; he would not need to fell trees. Room for planting of good crops. 

Snow held her son and ruminated on the thought that he was the Heir to a Kingdom. She put that away. That did not matter now.

They were quite content; and Snow and Eric found true happiness as they built a life and a family. 

10 years later.

Eric was in town; it was early summer and he needed to get a few things. 

Then he heard.

“Did you hear? The Dark Queen is dead.”

“How?”

“Rumor has it that she was trying some spell and it killed her. Supposedly still looking for the true queen that escaped and disappeared.”

Eric slowly made his way home; thinking on what he had heard. He shook his head; he should have figured it out years earlier. Snow was clearly from a noble family; and locked up in the Castle should have given him a clue.

Snow looked up and smiled. She finished cleaning off their youngest daughter and came to her man to kiss him.

He held his woman and ruminated on things. A son and two daughters; healthy and strong. A good life here. Should he tell her?

Snow cocked her head.  
“What is it?”

Eric smiled. He should have known better than to think he could fool her. He took a deep breath.

“The Dark Queen is dead. A spell she was trying backfired on her from what I heard. She had grown desperate to find the True Queen who had escaped and disappeared.”

Snow was very still.  
“It is good that she is dead. Now that kingdom can be free again. I hope whoever rules it now is a good one.”

And she looked right at him as she said it.

He slowly nodded. He looked at his son who was whittling away on a stick. He was actually now a Prince. They could go back and do that. He then looked at her and she smiled and shook her head.  
“I love my life here.”

“So do I.”


End file.
